I've been busy and then sick as a dog but I'm so sorry – this story is long overdue!
Chapter 7.
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When the doctor had told Dean he had to go through a lot of tests, the man sure as hell wasn't kidding. That was what Dean had concluded after having been sent back and forth between different parts of the hospital so many times that day that he'd lost count on all the many tests he'd had to go through. It didn't bother him though because, after all, this was something he did for Sam – to hopefully be a match and save his younger brother. The only thing that did bother the young hunter about it was the fact that he'd barely been able to see Sam at all that day. Fortunately, Bobby had decided to stay and had been watching over the youngest Winchester while Dean had gone through the tests.
"Dean." Bobby said with faked surprise when Dean walked into Sam's hospital room. "Good to see you. You got lost or something?"
"I've been thoroughly examined." Dean sighed. "I kinda feel like I have to take a shower after all this."
"Cute." Bobby said with sarcasm while Sam let out a snort.
"How are you, Sammy?" Dean asked and sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. "You holding up?"
"Yeah. I'm fine." Sam said - with a face as pale as snow - which didn't convince the older brother one bit.
"Yeah, you look fine." Dean said ironically and shook his head.
"Did the doctors tell you anything?" Sam wanted to know.
"No but some of the nurses couldn't keep their eyes off me." Dean smirked and Sam rolled his eyes.
"No, I meant about the whole transplant thing?" Sam said.
"I know what you meant." Dean said, turning serious again. "And no, they haven't said anything yet. I'm waiting for the test results."
"Well, I'll find us some caffeine to go along with the wait." Bobby said and left the room – leaving the two brothers alone.
"So, have Bobby and you been sharing geeky anecdotes while I was away?" Dean asked.
"Dean." Sam said.
"What?" The older brother wanted to know.
"We have to talk about it." Sam said.
"Talk about what?" Dean asked as he smoothed out Sam's blankets without looking at the youngest Winchester.
"You know what." Sam sighed. "The possibility that you aren't a match."
"I'll be a match." Dean said and held up a hand to stop Sam from protesting. "I know I can't know anything for sure so spare me the lecture. But Sam, I made you a promise and I'm sticking to that promise no matter what. It actually doesn't matter how the test results will turn out – somehow or in some way, I will find a way to fix you."
Sam looked at Dean, and Dean returned the offer. No more words needed to be shared because the look they gave each other said it all.
"You wanna watch some TV?" Dean said after a little while of silence.
"Sure." Sam said with a nod of his head and Dean shot him a smile before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.
"Well would you look at that!" Dean grinned after flicking through a few uninteresting channels. "A rerun of Baywatch! That's something you like, huh Sammy?"
"Dude, you were the one plastered to the screen every time a girl in a bathing suit turned up." Sam said with a glare.
"That's not how I remember it." Dean said with a wry smile on his face.
Sam huffed and rolled his eyes. Dean's smile grew bigger in amusement.
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"I have news." The doctor announced the following day when he stepped into the room that was occupied by the Winchester brothers and their surrogate father.
Bobby immediately straightened up in his chair while Dean jumped to his feet. Sam tensed a little from his position on the bed.
"We're listening." Bobby said.
"The tests we did on you, Sam, determined that you're suitable for surgery." The doctor said. "There shouldn't be anything indicating that you can't have a kidney transplant."
"And the tests you did on me?" Dean asked.
The doctor turned his attention to the older brother and Dean felt his heart pounding like a jackhammer inside his chest.
"You're in good health, kid." The doctor told him. "You and Sam share the same blood type, and your kidney will be a great match for your brother."
Dean closed his eyes and let out a big sigh as relief washed over him. For once luck was with them and Dean could have broken down in tears by the mere thought of it. Bobby was asking the doctor for more information but Dean heard none of it. He opened his eyes back up and turned his head towards Sam who was looking back at him with eyes full of emotion. A smile slowly spread on Dean's face. He was going to be able to keep the promise he'd made his little brother – Sam was gonna be alright.
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Bobby Singer considered himself a patient man. He had to be since he'd once been Rufus Turner's partner - and that seriously required an endless amount of patience, that's for sure! However, having patience was not something the older hunter from Sioux Falls could brag about on this particular day. Not when the two boys, he considered as his own, were both going through surgery.
Sam's doctor, who was an old friend of Bobby's, had talked Bobby through everything he needed to know about the surgery. Still, Bobby now had tons of questions and none of the nurses on duty seemed to be able to answer those questions for him.
"Anything?" Bobby asked for what could have been anywhere between the fifth and the twentieth time since the Winchester brothers had been rolled into surgery.
One of the two working nurses rolled her eyes and walked away from the nurses station, but the other one took pity in the older hunter and offered him an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry Mr. Singer." She said. "No news yet but I'll let you know as soon as I hear something."
"Thank you." Bobby said and returned to the chair in the waiting room he'd been occupying for several hours by now.
Bobby had been present when the brothers had been prepared for surgery. There hadn't been any big emotional scenes like the ones you would find in a soap opera. There'd been no 'I love you'or anything like that. What Bobby had seen before Dean and Sam had been rolled away, were two brothers; one slightly frightened little brother and one reassuring big brother who had exchanged a look and locked hands for a moment.
"It's okay." Dean had simply said and, to Bobby's big surprise, Sam had seemed to relax by those words and had even managed a little smile.
Bobby had no idea why it had surprised him though. He'd known the boys since Sam had still been wearing diapers and the brothers had always had such a special bond. Dean had always been incredible in his way of handling his little brother so why should this situation be any different?
"Mr. Singer?" A female voice asked and Bobby snapped out of his thoughts before looking up at the nurse in front of him.
"Yeah?" Bobby said with wide eyes.
"I have news about your nephews." The nurse smiled. "One of them is in recovery – the other one still in surgery."
"Can I see him?" Bobby asked as he quickly got up from his seat.
"You can." The nurse confirmed. "I'll show you to his room but he's still going to be out for a while."
The nurse shared a few details about the surgeries as she led the salvage yard owner to the recovery room, and Bobby thanked her before he opened up the door to the hospital room and went inside. Bobby smiled fondly when his eyes caught sight of the young boy on the bed. He pulled a chair up next to the bed and carefully minded the IV-lines as Bobby placed his hand on top of the boy's. He let his eyes travel from the beeping heart monitor to the peaceful face of the young sleeping Winchester brother.
"I hope you know what a great brother you have, son." Bobby said to the guy. "The nurse told me he ran into a few complications during surgery but don't you worry; he'll be by your side shortly, Sam."
Bobby smiled in relief when he saw the bag of golden fluid attached to the side of the bed. It meant that Sam was producing urine which furthermore meant that Sam's body was accepting Dean's kidney as its own. Bobby's relief was evident once more when Dean was wheeled into the room twenty minutes later and situated right next to his younger brother.
"They're both going to be just fine." The doctor promised. "Sam will have to stay at the hospital for the next four to seven days while we keep an eye on his new kidney. There are a number of medicines he must use for the rest of his life to suppress the immune system from rejecting the kidney, and some food products I discourage him to eat, but he'll be okay and you don't need to worry about Dean either. They're some tough boys."
"Yeah, they sure are." Bobby agreed and glanced at the brothers before following the doctor out of the room. "Hey, you care to tell me more about the surgeries over a cup of coffee? If I'm gonna listen to their bickering anytime soon, I gotta get some more caffeine into my system."
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Dean's throat felt as dry as sandpaper and he smacked his lips a couple of times before shifting a little in his bed. By doing so, he realized how sore his stomach was and that made him frown. What kind of hunt had they been on this time? And why couldn't he remember returning to the motel room?
"Dean?" His brother's voice asked and Dean automatically turned his head towards the sound of it and blinked his eyes open.
"Sammy?" Dean asked the blurry figure a few feet away from him.
He blinked a couple of more times, and the blurry figure slowly morphed into Sam who was looking at him from the motel bed next to him. No hang on a minute – hospital bed, not motel bed.
"Wha-" Dean began but then he remembered; the hospital, the kidney transplant, Sam. "How did it go? You doing alright?"
"You always worry too much." Sam said with a wry smile before leaning back in his bed and closing his eyes.
"Just answer the question, Sam." Dean demanded.
"Well, it turns out I've got myself a new kidney." Sam said, still with his eyes closed. "So I guess you're stuck with me a little while longer after all."
"Told you so." Dean said with a smile of his own before closing his eyes as well.
"Thanks for keeping your promise." Sam slurred out before sleep claimed him fully.
"That's what family is for." Dean said in a soft voice and followed his brother into oblivion.
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THE END.
Thank you for sticking with this story to the very end, guys. I've just been through a round of food poisoning but now finally had the energy to finish the story.
Please leave a review! Thanks! :)
-Elisa.